Everyone knows Santa Claus is a holiday hero, but who knew he could hold his own against the forces of Hell itself? A cinematic testament to Santa's innate goodness (and oft-overlooked toughness), the Mexican film Santa Claus pits "the best friend of boys and girls everywhere" against a devil described as one of the Dark Prince's cleverest disciples. But first, an introduction. As the film opens, Christmas is approaching fast, and Santa is making the appropriate preparations high atop his perch in Toyland. Located somewhere in outer space, Toyland serves as home to Santa and "boys and girls of all races and creeds." Divided into groups according to these races and creeds, the kids appear to have one job: singing songs from their native lands, most of which have little to do with Christmas. But there's more to Santa's life than relaxing amid his multicultural chattel: There's also voyeurism. Looking through a comically oversized telescope, Santa (played as a laugh-prone imp by José Elías Moreno) spies on all the children of the world, paying particular attention to a poor girl named Lupita who wants a doll ("any doll") and a "poor little rich boy" whose parents shower him with toys but pay him little attention. Meanwhile, in Hell, the booming voice of Satan challenges a tights-clad devil named Pitch (the mononymic Pulgarcito) to provoke "all the children of the world" to do evil, lest he be punished with ice cream in place of his preferred fire and brimstone. After trying in vain to get Lupita to steal, Pulgarcito has better luck with three mischievous boys, who need little prompting to break the window of a shop featuring a Santa display. His campaign mounts as Moreno prepares to visit Earth after consulting his good friend Merlin (easily identifiable by his robe and wizard's hat). After heading to Earth in a less-than-sturdy-looking sleigh pulled by awkwardly articulated toy reindeer, Moreno begins setting things right by slipping the rich boy's neglectful parents a "cocktail of remembrance" that prompts them to return home immediately and deliver some hugs. The evening takes a darker turn, however, when Pulgarcito corners Moreno in a tree and provokes some sleeping parents into trying to shoot him. Pulgarcito's Santacide is prevented, however, and Moreno continues on his way, giving the weepy Lupita a doll before returning to Toyland for another year—and leaving his devilish adversary to meet an ice-cream-themed fate worse than death.
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